Croydon based community kitchen garden goes full circle with vegetables planted being used to feed members

A Croydon based community kitchen garden designed to improve wellbeing for its members has gone full circle by planting their own crops and turning them into soup. 

MHA Communities South London set up a community kitchen garden for members to plant and grow various vegetables, which are now being used to produce soup for the lunch club.

The purpose of the kitchen garden is to regenerate items to eat and become a self-sustainable project for the future.

The garden is packed full of ingredients such as peas, beans, kale, and lettuce.

The space allows those who have no experience as well as gardening lovers to contribute towards their own wellbeing and help contribute towards their community.

Lynette Emmanuel, one of the volunteers said: “I have been here for the last three months, and the space has grown massively. 

“It was initially an experiment, but I do believe it has been a wonderful initiative and you always see people coming back which is a good sign. 

“The kitchen garden is open for everyone and it’s a great opportunity for members of the community to get involved.

“Personally, I took some time off from work and needed something to do. I was always keen on giving back to the community and I do love being outdoors, so it works well.”

Marco Galli, MHA Communities South London Manager said: “Currently I am doing the cooking for the lunch club, but we are looking to get members involved with the cooking.

“The volunteers have been enjoying their time in the garden planting the vegetable seeds and to see the evolve into fully formed vegetables and then use them in the kitchen is wonderful 

“We want to be a self-sufficient and sustainable project and are keen for people to support us.

“In the future we want to work with the community and look for ways to expand the kitchen garden and become a real force in the community.”